A study published Tuesday paints a grim picture of America’s increasingly stressed medical students, in what researchers say they hope will be a “wake-up call” to the nation’s medical schools and health care policy makers.

The study, led by the Cambridge Health Alliance, a hospital system near Boston, includes data from 115 of the nation’s medical schools, looking specifically at what type of health insurance they offer to students with mental health and substance abuse problems.

A forthcoming study aims to clarify that -- contrary to popular portrayals -- most students who delay college are less well-off than their peers and face obstacles stemming from academics, wealth and family matters.